Unearthing History: Ancient Helmets Hint at Epic Greek Victory in Magna Graecia

In 540 BC, a momentous and bloody naval battle unfolded off the coast of Corsica, then known as the Sea of Sardinia, west of Magna Graecia. According to historian Herodotus, Greek colonists residing in the Corsican city of Alalia faced a combined Etruscan and Carthaginian military force.

Herodotus claims the Greeks emerged victorious. However, their victory came at a heavy cost. Their surviving ships were too damaged to continue fighting, forcing them to evacuate their families and abandon Alalia,

READ MORE: Magna Graecia: Casapulla, the town of Apollo.

Skilled merchants founded the city of Hyele, later renamed Elea (or Velia by the Romans), in Magna Graecia. This city became the birthplace of the philosopher Parmenides.

Massimo Osanna, Director General of all Italian museums, exclusively told Italian outlet ANSA that an excavation by the Archaeological Park of Paestum-Velia unearthed helmets likely from the aforementioned epochal battle.

"This discovery sheds new light on this fascinating page of ancient history," emphasized the scholar.

Italian Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini echoed the sentiment, applauding the finding and highlighting the importance of "continuing to invest conviction in archaeological research that never ceases to return important pieces of Mediterranean history."

Excavations led by Francesco Scelza began last summer atop the city's former acropolis, just below the visible remains of the temple dedicated to Athena. They have unearthed the remains of a rectangular structure.

Measuring a substantial 18 meters long and 7 meters wide, the structure dates back to the sixth century BC.

Inside, on a beaten earth floor, painted ceramics are all marked with the inscription Ire ("sacred"), which certifies dedication to the divinity.

Cuman workers make the decorative architectural elements in baked clays, unsurprisingly perhaps from one of the Greek cities on the front line against the Etruscans.

Also, next to the pottery, the temple floor housed various bronze and iron weapons.

There are also many fragments of weapons, including pieces of a large decorated shield and two splendid helmets in perfect condition.

One is an Etruscan helmet of the "cap" type, and the other is a Chalcidian style.

"They are relics offered to Athena, in all probability the remains of the battle of Alalia", said Osanna, who, pending the installation of the new director, Tiziana D'Angelo, has taken over the management of the Park over the last year.

Of course, these are first considerations.

Unearthed just a few days ago, the two helmets have yet to be cleaned up in the laboratory and studied.

READ MORE: New monument in Crotone, Southern Italy dedicated to the city’s Ancient Greek roots.

Inside them, there could be inscriptions, which are quite frequent in ancient armour, and these could help to accurately reconstruct their history - who knows, maybe even the identity of the warriors who wore them.

However, the discovery of the ancient temple, with its dating and the objects preserved inside it, already clarifies many details of that history from more than 2,500 years ago.

"The structure of the oldest temple dates back to 540-530 BC, that is, the years immediately following the battle of Alalia", pointed out Osanna.

The more recent temple is believed to have been from the Hellenistic period, dating back to 480-450 B.C.

It then underwent a restructuring in the fourth century B.C.

It is, therefore, possible that the Greeks fleeing from Alalia raised it immediately after their arrival on this stretch of coast - today identified between Punta Licosa and Palinuro in the province of Salerno.

Herodotus tells us once more, dealing with the indigenous Enotri, that these Greeks had bought the land necessary to settle down and resume the flourishing businesses for which they were famous.

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